Kansas City Today

Derron Black is running as a Republican for the first time for a Missouri Senate district in Kansas City's urban core. He says local Democratic leadership has failed to get his community what it needs, and that voters are ready to look elsewhere for help. Plus: What Missouri voters should know about the 2024 races for secretary of state and treasurer.

Black, a former Democrat, claims this is the year that voters in Jackson County could be convinced to vote red. Community leaders, his incumbent opponent and the area’s voting history say otherwise. As KCUR’s Zach Perez reports, he’s battling decades of distrust for the Republican Party.

In just over a month, Missouri voters will select five of the six statewide officeholders. That includes both the secretary of state and treasurer. St. Louis Public Radio editor Jonathan Ahl spoke with St. Louis Public Radio’s statehouse and politics reporter Sarah Kellogg to break down those two races.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

Platte County voters will decide in November on a sales tax proposal that would help support mental health care for at-risk kids. Why is it needed, and what could it mean for the county if it passes?

The U. S. Health Resources and Services Administration has designated Platte County, Missouri, as a health professional shortage area, with a ratio of 840 patients for every mental health provider. This November, voters there will decide whether to create a 1/4-cent sales tax that would pay for a county children's services fund to help close this gap.

On KCUR's Up To Date, Lisa Rodriguez spoke with former Kansas City Council member Dan Fowler, who's on the steering committee for the Children's Service Fund Coalition, and Corky McCaffrey, Community Engagement Coordinator of Synergy Services, which provides services to children and families experiencing mental health problems, homelessness, domestic violence and more.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Luke X. Martin. It is produced by David McKeel and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Madeline Fox.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

At the popular Northland lunch spot Mudbug Cajun Po'Boys, husband-and-wife owners Chris and Heather Jones offer their twist on Cajun and Creole cuisine. While the restaurant struggled to get through COVID, the couple say they've seen more customers come looking for food that reminds them of "being at home."

Originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, chef Chris Jones worked his way up through Kansas City’s restaurant industry for 20 years before opening Mudbug Cajun Po’Boys in 2016. A few years later, Jackson, Mississippi, native Heather Jones was on a mission to find a shrimp po’boy in Kansas City that tasted like home.

Up To Date guest host Brian Ellison sat down with Heather and Chris Jones to talk about how they met and how their restaurant has developed a loyal following.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by David McKeel and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

Tenants at two apartment complexes in the Kansas City area are now withholding rent payments, in the city’s first rent strike since 1980. Rent strikes are illegal in Missouri, but residents say it's worth the risk, after dealing with deteriorating living conditions and a lack of maintenance.

Poor living conditions at Quality Hill Towers and Independence Towers have pushed those apartment's tenant unions to go on a rent strike. On KCUR's Up To Date, Lisa Rodriguez spoke with KC Tenants director Tara Raghuveer and KCUR Missouri politics & government reporter Celisa Calacal to find out more.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

November’s election will decide half the seats on the Kansas Board of Education, which oversees public schools across the state. Those races could dramatically shift the board's political and ideological balance. Plus: University of Missouri students are worried about the future of diversity programs on campus.

The race for five seats on the Kansas State Board of Education could dramatically shift the board’s political makeup, which could reshape academic standards or the way schools approach social-emotional learning. Kansas News Service education reporter Suzanne Perez spoke with editor Stephen Koranda about the state school board races.

University of Missouri students are worried about the university’s decision to change the name of its "Welcome Black BBQ" to the "Welcome Black and Gold BBQ." The university has been shutting down diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on campus for the past year. KBIA's Evan Holden reports.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

Kansas and Missouri police departments have paid thousands of dollars for an aggressive and discredited officer training. Plus: How some universities are tackling the issue of food insecurity among their students.

A KCUR and Midwest Newsroom investigation discovered that almost 300 police officers in Jackson, Johnson and Wyandotte Counties attended continuing education classes through a company called Street Cop Training that could have taught unconstitutional and harassing law enforcement tactics. KCUR’s Sam Zeff shares the results of his nine-month investigation.

College is back in session across the country, and some students are worried about more than just the cost of tuition. Research shows that college students are going hungry at a higher rate than the U.S. population as a whole. As Harvest Public Media’s Jess Savage reports, some college campuses are working on creative solutions.

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

People who are unhoused face unique challenges when it comes to voting. How are people in Kansas City navigating those hurdles, and how are local organizations helping them register and get to the polls?

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, only 10% of homeless people vote. Without an address to receive registration materials and other vital government documents, as well as the challenge of knowing where to vote and getting to the polls, these residents face heavy barriers to voting on both sides of the state line. But several local organizations are working to change that.

Up To Date's Steve Kraske spoke with the KC Beacon's Mili Mansaray, who's been covering homeless voter registration efforts in our area.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by David McKeel and KCUR Studios, and edited by CJ Janovy and Lisa Rodriguez

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

Kansas City's new downtown parking policy during events is catching some drivers by surprise. Plus: Why did a master bootmaker from Italy choose small-town Kansas to continue his craft?

If you're planning to be in downtown Kansas City during an event, you might want to rethink where you park. A new policy approved by the city council earlier this summer establishes a $30 flat rate to park in an event parking zone downtown and in the River Market. KCUR's Celisa Calacal is covering the story, and she spoke with Up To Date's Steve Kraske about Kansas City's new downtown parking fee and what it means for downtown drivers.

Some people take the whole "road-less traveled" thing to the extreme. For master bootmaker Sam Vasta the global journey began in Italy. Then, as a kid, he moved to Rochester, New York. At college in upstate New York, Vasta met his wife and moved to her native Poland in 2001. Then, to Ireland and back to Italy for an apprenticeship as a shoemaker. In 2009, an earthquake destroyed his home and shop and three years ago, the family landed in Eureka, Kansas — population 2295. Tom Shine from KMUW in Wichita has this portrait of the Italian bootmaker who came to small-town Kansas to continue his craft.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by David McKeel and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeleine Fox and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

Many of the people in Kansas who are homeless do have an income, but housing is simply too expensive to afford a place to live. Plus: Missouri law doesn't clearly IVF, so what's the risk of the procedure being outlawed?

More Kansas residents are experiencing homelessness, despite earning pay through work or fixed incomes like Social Security. As Dylan Lysen of the Kansas News Service reports, advocates argue a lack of affordable housing is driving an increase in homelessness in the state.

Some Missouri advocates for in-vitro fertilization are calling for the state to protect the procedure. They’re concerned after an Alabama court ruled that frozen embryos should be considered "extrauterine children.” St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Fentem spoke with fertility attorney Tim Schlessinger about whether Missouri’s laws are enough to safeguard the procedure.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

Missouri has a tropical fruit of its very own: the pawpaw. Although this Midwest native is getting more popular, you're unlikely to find them in a grocery store yet. Plus: While corn and soybeans dominate the Midwestern landscape today, some farmers are integrating strips of native prairie back into their fields.

The pawpaw grows throughout nearly half of the U.S., but most people have never tried it. Some farmer's markets and festivals are spreading the word, though. Harvest Public Media’s Kate Grumke reports on the push to popularize the elusive pawpaw.

Agriculture replaced nearly all of the original prairie in the Great Plains and Midwest. But a growing number of farmers are incorporating strips of prairie into their row-crop fields. These colorful corridors help with soil and water quality and wildlife. As Harvest Public Media’s Rachel Cramer reports, there are efforts underway to expand the use of prairie strips.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted today by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.